Our Speakers

HSLDA’s @home e•vents program showcases speakers who are experts in their fields and often leaders in the homeschool community. They’ve been in your shoes and want to come alongside you in your journey to enhance your family’s homeschooling experience! Our speakers possess the breadth of experience, talent, and enthusiasm suited for encouraging you and equipping you with relevant tools.

Past e•vents have included presentations by well-known authors and speakers, such as Andrew Pudewa, Lou Priolo, Dr. Jay Wile, Jeff Myers, and Hal and Melanie Young, as well as experienced homeschooling parents and homeschool graduates. HSLDA staff speakers have included President J. Michael Smith, Chairman Michael P. Farris, many other attorneys, and some of our Special Needs, High School, and Early Years coordinators, such as Dianne Craft, Vicki Bentley, Becky Cooke, and Diane Kummer.

Scott Somerville

Scott Somerville went to Harvard Law School with five children in 1989 and graduated with honors (and a sixth child) in 1992. Before he was a lawyer, Scott was a homeschool activist—as the first president of Christian Home Educators of New Hampshire, Scott battled the New Hampshire rules revision subcommittee to a standstill in their effort to triple the regulations on homeschoolers. That brush with the law was enough to induce him to quit his day job as a programmer, put the house on the market, and move the whole family down to Cambridge, Massachusetts. Scott went straight from Harvard to Home School Legal Defense Association, where he was a staff attorney for 14 years.

Scott has written and spoken extensively on subjects ranging from parental rights to the privacy of the home, but his central concern has always been for the homeschool family—especially the homeschool dad. “The Christian homeschooling father is uniquely positioned to truly gain the desires of his heart: a loving wife, a happy home, wise sons, and delightful daughters,” says Scott. “There are treasures hidden in his home—all he needs to know is where to dig!”

In October 2006, Scott left his full-time position at HSLDA to serve homeschooling families—especially fathers and teenagers—in new ways. He realized that many fathers want to be more involved in their homeschools but don’t know how, so he created the “Pop Quiz” (a 32-CD audio tour of the history of the world) to enable fathers to lead their families through the Tapestry of Grace curriculum. Scott wrote the “Pageant of Philosophy” to help Christian teens prepare to face competing worldviews by following the adventures of “Simplicio” (a young person who wants to find a truth he can prove without relying on faith) as he meets all the great thinkers of history—from Moses to Marx to the latest thinkers. He is currently working on a sequel to his first novel (Olympus, an action/adventure novel for homeschooled teens).

“Very encouraging and practical.” — Todd, CA

E•vents

In this talk, Scott Somerville explains that most Christian homeschooling wives aren't asking for the impossible from their husbands. What they primarily want is assurance, godly leadership, and involvement. They want their husband to be their principal and pastor more than they want him to become a teacher’s aide or assistant janitor. Sure, wives do want practical help, bigger budgets, and time to plan, but those items come way down their list of priorities. Husbands who understand this can succeed in their homeschools without sacrificing their other God-given priorities.

Fathers love to see their children thrive in the homeschool environment, but they often reap what others (their wives) have sown. Nobody knows this better than Scott Somerville, whose wife has taught their six children “forever.” Come hear Scott share the principles that have changed him from a homeschooling couch potato to a real principal.

Every homeschooler knows the question, “But what about socialization?” Every homeschooler knows the answer, too: “No problem here!” But critics demand proof. Today, the first generation of homeschoolers has grown up, and there are now enough graduates that we can begin to evaluate how they are doing in real life. In 2003, HSLDA commissioned Dr. Brian Ray to conduct the world’s largest survey of adults who were taught at home. This workshop discusses the encouraging results of this research.